


Letters

by JoeyPare



Category: Houston Knights
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-11
Updated: 2013-11-11
Packaged: 2018-01-01 03:33:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1039865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoeyPare/pseuds/JoeyPare
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Challenge from Killash's Texan Dungeon. 1999  ..[][].. Each Knight gets a letter but it cannot be shared with his partner or anyone else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Letters

  
_Everything on this page is fiction. Any resemblance or reference to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental._   


  
  
---  
**_Fandom:_** | **_Houston Knights_**  
**_Series:_** | **_Other Authors_**  
**_Rating:_** | **_PG_**  
**_Archive:_** | **_Starwinder's_**  
**_Title:_** | **_Letters_**  
**_Author:_** | **_JoeyPare_**  
Standard Disclaimer: Houston Knights belongs to Jay Bernstein and Michael Butler and Columbia Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended. This is fan fiction, written out of love for the shows. I am making no money off this. I have no money so please don't sue me. Any original characters that may appear in these stories are the property of the author.  
  
## Letters

### By JoeyPare

"Sergeant LaFiamma?" A dull, bass voice behind Joey asked. 

Turning on his heel, Joe stared into the face of an old high school buddy, a long time employee of his Uncle Mikey's. "Yeah, I'm Sergeant LaFiamma," the Italian answered, his face expressionless, dropping his sunglasses onto his desk as he turned. 

"You want to show me some ID?" The man asked, taking one giant step through the Squad Room's double doors to within inches of the ex-Chicago cop. 

"ID?" Joey asked, confused, wondering what in the world was going on back in Chicago that couldn't be told to him over the phone. 

"Yeah, ID... I'm not about to hand this letter over to someone who is not Sergeant Joseph LaFiamma," the nameless man responded gruffly. "If you're him, let's see some identification." 

"Oh, he's him," chuckled Estaban, as he slipped around the two on the way to the filing cabinets against the far wall. 

Without glancing at his fellow officer, Joe reached into his jacket pocket for his badge, pulled it out and filled it open. The man touched the edge, looking from the picture to Joe and back again. "Yeah... you're him. Special delivery," he said, handing Joey a white business envelope. Then barely audible, so quiet Joe almost missed it, the man replied, "be careful." 

Joey walked to the doorway, staring after the man, watching him push the button for the elevator but not waiting, and going for the stairs instead. Joe tapped the envelope on his arm, and strolled down to the bathroom. He didn't want to be disturbed when he opened it. 

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Levon sat in the red GMC Jimmy in Reisner's parking lot, staring at the letter spread across his steering wheel. A month ago he had the winning ticket in the lottery and had announced that the majority of it was going to charity. Even his partner had been surprised at that. LaFiamma figured he'd start that horse ranch the cowboy was always talking about. Now he wondered if he would have enough to feed his horse. Lundy found the letter in his mailbox, out by the road, this morning. From the date on the envelope, it had sat there for a couple of days. With all his mail going to a post office box, he rarely checked the old box by the driveway. On a whim he had slipped his hand into it on his way out this morning. 

"Damn!" the blond muttered, for the umpteenth time. "Seven people! She gave my lucky number out to seven people! Damn stupid clerk, I hope they fired her! MY numbers!! Numbers I've played all year finally won. And a clerk at the 7-11 gives them out as Quik Pics to six people after me!" 

-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Joey pushed open a stall door, and stepped in, locking the door behind him. Moving around the toilet, he leaned up against the wall as he gingerly opened the letter his Uncle Mikey had sent by special messenger. 

The words hit him like ice water - _Four years I've been here. God...now I'm open season again!_

"Joey... I didn't trust telling you this over the phone. I know you and Charles were friends through high school. Knew you would trust taking the letter from him.... Papa Vergio...he's had a stroke ... probably dying. Rick's oldest Son (the hothead) has paid a free lancer ... he's doubled the price on your head. We don't know who it is. Man, woman, teenager. Could even be a cop you work with! Rick's widow... gave an ultimatum. Said she'd had enough of it. That killing you won't bring Rick back. Her word is law in that house now - if the shooter fails... she says the contract is void. That doesn't mean you can come home, Joey. It isn't safe for you here. Just means, no more looking over your shoulder. We pray for you... light candles at Mass. 

Love, Uncle Mikey 

Joey read, and reread it before folding up the letter, to put it back into the envelope. He knew he needed to call his uncle to confirm that it was delivered. It was Uncle Mikey's handwriting all right... but why have Charles deliver it. Joey could think of a couple more trusted people in his uncle's network to have done so. He folded the envelope in half and slipped it in behind his badge. As he moved to unlock the stall door, his mind cataloged a number of cops who could make his death look like an accident. Yet he knew for the shooter to get credit, he'd have to be identified. If it were a cop, it would have to be a justified shooting. Double the amount - $200,000 for him dead! God, what a nightmare! Maybe he should have been a wiseguy after all. _I sure as hell can't tell Lundy about this. He's too damn busy counting his millions._

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Levon crumbled the letter into a tiny ball and tossed it on the floor. Then realizing his partner would pick it up as soon as he got into the passenger seat, the blond leaned forward to retrieve it. The Texan unwrinkled it, opened it, and read it again. He had stopped at three pay phones on the way in this morning, trying to get through to the number listed in the letter, but it was always busy. He wondered about the other six people listed here. He had been declared the legal winner the day after the drawing. 

The letter said the Lotto Commission was sorry about the mix-up. Six other people had come forward with winning numbers, from that same 7-11, but his was the only one listed as being given out by their machine. Who knows what kind of story the clerk told the Lotto Commission? _[Damn good thing I didn't resign yet. LaFiamma will laugh in my face when he finds out. But I ain't going to tell him that's for sure.]_

Lundy eyed the pay phone at the end of the parking lot and decided to try the number one last time. 

-=-=-=-=-=- 

Joey quietly exited the men's room and walked back down the hall, into the rush of Friday morning activities in the Squad Room. Nodding hello to Estaban Guieterrez, a displaced cop from Mexico, Joe reached for the telephone on his desk and dialed his uncle's 800 number. 

"Yeah, it's Joey," LaFiamma said quietly into the receiver. "Yeah, I got the letter. Charles just delivered it. Does he know what was in the letter? No? Okay. Yeah, I'll keep in touch." Joey didn't know why, but he had a sneaking suspicion from the way Charles had greeted him, or not greeted him, that his old wrestling partner was the shooter. 

Joey barely hung up the telephone when it rang again. Before he could say his name his Uncle was talking to him. Telling him that Charles had flown down to Houston two days ago, and the letter was to have been delivered immediately. Which meant Charlie had had the last two days to be in town to check out Joey's routine. _[Damn, it's bad enough being shot at, but when it's a friend...]_

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

"Hello, this is Levon Lundy, I got a.... What? I was declared the legal winner! My numbers were the only ones recorded on your dumb machine!" Levon groused angrily to the man on the other end of the line. 

"Yeah, well I hope to god you fired the woman! Make you wonder how many other times she's done that. Bet she's pocketed a lot of your money!" he bellowed slamming the receiving down. 

"Yeah, and just how am I suppose to get down to your office today, huh? I'll be laughed off the force. A cop taken by a little old lady who works the lotto machine like a slot machine," Levon grumbled to himself, turning to watch the uniform police officers going in and out of Reisner during shift change. 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 

"Joey, you seen Levon around yet?" Sergeant Carol "Legs" O'Brien asked as Joey dropped the receiver back onto the telephone cradle. 

"No, we drove in separately this morning. Why, what's up?" The Italian asked turning his attention to the leggy blond. 

"He said he'd do a welfare check for me this morning," Carol replied, concern etched in his voice. 

"The girl that was assaulted in the park the other night? The one Annie counseled?" Joey asked, remembering the details that Annie had shared with the detective duo. 

"That's her. If you find him, here's the address. I'm trapped on the computer this morning, looking up something for the Lieutenant, otherwise I'd go," Carol answered, handing Joe a piece of scratch paper with the girl's name and address on it. "I called and no one answers, and I know she doesn't leave for work for another hour or so." 

"They catch the guy who did it?" Joey asked quietly, glancing at the address on the paper. 

"Not yet. But she gave a good description of him. Right down to the fancy gold tipped boots he worn. She scratched him good on the back of his right hand, too," Legs said, lightly touching Joey on the arm as he folded the paper and put it into his jacket pocket. 

"Gold-tipped boots? He wore gold-tipped boots!" Joe croaked, in amazement. Knowing that Charlie had always worn gold-tipped boots because he felt it made him look more important, wealthy. 

"Yeah... Joey...? You all right?" Carol asked, startled by the look that had come over the detective's face. 

-=-=-=-=-=-= 

Lundy walked into Reisner's lobby and looked around. All he saw were grinning cops nodding his way. All wanting to be on his good side maybe get a piece of his action. Wonder what they'll say when they see the paper tonight -- Woman arrested for embezzling, tampering with lotto machine, gives winning Lotto number out to seven other people. 

"Where the hell you been, Lundy?" LaFiamma bellowed as he stepped off the elevator. "Out counting your pennies?" The Italian's remark brought laughter from a sea of blue uniforms. 

"Come on, you're driving!" Joey continued, "Legs, wants us to do a welfare check on that Millie Petrowski that was mugged in the park. She can't get her on the phone, and she doesn't leave for work for an hour yet." _[What I want to know is why didn't anyone notice the gold-tipped boots Charles was wearing when he walked in this joint.]_

Lundy glanced at his partner, his sharp comeback caught in his throat as he studied LaFiamma's face. He had seen that look before but where.... 

"Something you need to tell me, LaFiamma?" Levon asked as they walked to the Jimmy. 

"About what?" Joey answered flatly, trying his best to keep his composure, worrying that if the hit came it would be Lundy and not him that was hurt... or killed. 

"Nothing, fancy shoes... get in," Lundy responded, remembering now, the expression Joe wore after the shooter at the country club took pot shots at him. _[Damn, and he's worrying about me! How long do we have to be together before we start sharing our feelings with each other? Don't he know that he and Julie is all I got?]_

=-=-=-=-=- 

"Hey, Carol, I see you got the guy with the gold-tipped boots," Joe-Bill McCandless chortled as he walked into the Squad Room, glancing to the left and to the right, looking for the man. 

"What are you talking about?" Carol answered, turning from her computer. 

"A big guy, with gold-tipped boots, his right hand all bandaged up, got on the elevator with two uniforms. I figured they were bringing him up here," Joe-Bill continued, slipping out of his jacket and hanging it over the back of his chair. 

"No... that guy...," Estaban paused, looking from one detective to the other. "That guy was in here. He asked for Joe... remember," the ex-Matamoras cop said, nodding to Carol. "Handed Joey an envelope then left." 

Carol straightened in her chair, then slowly rose to a standing position. "Yes, and Joe just stared after him, as though he'd seen a ghost. Looked at the envelope, then walked down the hall. Probably went somewhere to read it." 

"Right, and he made a beeline for the telephone when he came back. Called his uncle. Dropped the phone like it was molten lava when the conversation was over," Sergeant O'Brien said, striding from her terminal to Joey's desk. 

-=-=-=-=- 

"Got the address for this here welfare check?" Lundy asked, as he eased the 4x4 into morning traffic. 

"Of course I've got it!" Joey snapped a little too sharply. "Sorry ... it's just... things aren't starting off too great this morning." 

"You got that right," Levon lamented, not explaining or responding to the look his partner gave him. 

-=-=-=-=- 

The three detectives in the squad room exchanged glances. Finally Carol ventured, "You don't think there is another hit on Joey, do you? I mean, if the guy who assaulted this girl had the same kind of boots as this man who was just here...?" 

"That maybe it is a setup?" Estaban cut in. "Maybe the girl and the guy are together." 

"Yeah, but there is no way they would know that Joe and Levon would be doing the welfare check," Joe-Bill replied. 

"Yes there is! She asked Annie a whole lot of questions ... Annie asked Joanne, and Joanne has me looking for some of the answers!" Carol quipped, giving an anxious look to Sergeant Gutierrez. 

"I'll call dispatch," Joe-Bill remarked turning to pick up the phone. 

"No!" Carol said curtly, "If they have gone to this much trouble they will be monitoring police calls as well. You two are just going to have to roll to this address as back up and hope you get there before anything goes down." 

"Oh, we'll get there, Carol, and we'll take a few cops from downstairs with us," Estaban replied anxiously. 

-=-=-=-=-= 

"So...you make a down payment on that horse farm you been looking at for two years?" LaFiamma asked, trying to get some civil conversation going. 

"I tol' you LaFiamma, I'm giving most of it to charity. Figure I'll be cop till I die. It's in my blood, you know." Levon replied, glancing in his partner's direction, surprised to see the color drain from the Italian's face. 

It was several seconds before Joe answered, "Right - your grandfather was a Texas Ranger." 

"If there's something you need to tell me LaFiamma, best do it now. When you clam up like this, I know something is eating at you." Levon remarked slowing for a yellow light. 

The light turned green just as Lundy's country and western radio station came on with the news. The Texan reached down to turn it off but wasn't quick enough. Joey heard the words 'six more winners have come forward' and grabbed Lundy's hand and told him to move before irritate drivers behind him came forward to rearrange his face. 

Joey stared at his partner as the blond continued to drive through traffic. "What kind of investigation?" Joe asked at the end of the broadcast. 

"I don't know!" Levon snapped. "They want to figure out how she did it, I suppose. How do you give out six numbers without it registering on a foolproof machine? Mine's the only one listed in the machine. Seems she's done this more than once. Must pocket the money, who knows. I won't be able to go back to the station that's for sure. I'll be laughed out of the place." 

"Hey, Levon, we're all happy you won. Just worried you'll take off with your millions and we won't see you again. Heck man, not sure I want another partner... just got you broke in good." Joey said with a grin as they approached the street they were looking for. 

"There! See that blond on the steps of that house up ahead that's the one who was assaulted. Carol showed me her picture." Levon said pointing out a woman on a front porch ahead. 

Joey stared, his mouth dropping open to the floor. "Drive past!" Joey growled curtly as Levon began to pull up to the curb. 

"What?" 

"Drive past! I know her! She's from Chicago! It's a setup man... a setup for me!" 

Lundy stepped on the gas and sped to the corner, made a quick U-turn and parked a half a block from the house. 

"What now?" The blond asked looking at his partner, his eyes widening as a man stepped from behind the tree and put a gun to his partner's neck. 

"Cops always park a half-block away don't they? Angie figured you would." Charlie said evenly moving closer to the vehicle, the cold steel barrel pressed to LaFiamma's neck. 

"Morning, Charlie," Joey replied as calmly as he could, knowing the slightest jar of the gun could discharge it. 

"Missed you at my wedding. How was Saint Louis? You know, I really wanted my best wrestling partner to be head usher." Joe said swallowing hard, eyes darting up to the mirror to look at his partner. 

"I ain't never been to Saint Louis," Charlie said tightly. "Don't make me laugh, Joey, you got a different girl every weekend and always will have. You in the driver's seat, get out slow!" 

Slowly Levon opened his door and started to edge out. "HOLD IT!" Charlie yelped. "Leave that gun on the floor -- and no sudden movements or Joey here gets splattered all over your truck." 

Just as Levon eased himself off the seat, the police radio crackled. "9215, come back." 

Joey swallowed, his voice low, Levon could feel an edge of fear in it. "Lundy has to answer that - it's us. Otherwise you'll have company here." 

"Do it!" Charlie snarled, getting impatient. 

"9214." Lundy said reaching for the microphone that was hooked to the dash. 

"We are calling 9215!" Both detectives recognized Estaban's voice and knew instantly that there were more cops in the area. 

"9215 is incapacitated." 

"Can you rely a message?" 

"10-4." 

"Tell 9215 two of his three anglers have been netted. His choice on what to do with the third." 

"9214, I'll rely the message." Levon clicked the mike hard, leaving the channel open and dropped the mike onto the seat next to his partner. 

"Okay cowboy, out slow. Walk around the front and eagle spread on the hood. One false move and your partner won't have a head on his shoulders." Petracelli ordered sharply. "You married? What a bunch of bull! I would think you would've thought of something better than that Joey." 

The words of Charlie Petracelli spread across the airwaves. Every cop who heard them froze, instinctively waiting for that shot that might end a friend's life. 

-=-=-=-=-=-=- 

Juliet LaFiamma had just turned the police radio on top of the refrigerator on, when she heard on the secondary channel that all traffic was to stay off Channel One because of a hostage situation. Quickly turning to Channel One, she reached it just as Charles Petracelli ordered Levon out. 

"Ooh! Joey!" Julie Millerard LaFiamma moaned. Clutching her waist, she grabbed for the letter she'd just opened and stared at the words approving them for the adoption of twin girls from Joey's home parish in Chicago. 

"Please Lord -- just now when we're starting a family -- don't let him die!" 

-=-=-=-=-=-==--=- 

"Okay, Joey, your turn - OUT!" Charlie ordered, gingerly stepping around the roots of the tree that lay above ground. 

"Kind'a hard to move, Charlie, with a gun pressed against my neck. Can hardly open the door with the tree here," Joey said evenly, knowing several people including his dispatcher wife could be listening. 

"You got room!" Charlie snapped getting impatient with the whole situation, his eyes widening as Joe's left hand, wearing a wedding band, came up to grab the window frame. 

"Since when you wear a ring to keep the ladies away?" 

"Since one lady caught me and dragged me down the aisle to say I DO. You should have been there Charlie. Marco came and Angie too. They had a great time, all the time telling me about what you were doing in St Louis," LaFiamma said trying to judge if he could get out of the truck without scratching Lundy's door. 

"YOU LIAR!" Petracelli yelled, "She came to Houston last fall with her cousin! Damn you Joey! I ain't waitin' for Marco! I'm taking you now!" 

Only Lundy eagle spread across the front of the Jimmy, his eyes on his partner, saw Charlie raised the gun and smashed the butt against Joe's temple. 

Joey felt the barrel release from his neck but before he could turn or talk something smashed against his head and he fell sideways, unconscious atop the open police mike. 

Levon rolled to the ground, scrambling toward his still open driver's door. He retrieved his six-gun just as Charlie raised the gun and took aim at his fallen partner. 

"OFFICER - DOWN! OFFICER - DOWN!" Levon shouted hoping that even though his partner lay on the microphone he would still be heard. 

Levon's shout confused Charlie, giving Lundy the extra seconds he and the others needed. "Move and you're a dead man!" Sergeant Levon Lundy growled, as a dozen cops came from nowhere. 

-=-=-=-=-=-= 

Julie reached up to turn off the police scanner. With Levon yelling "Officer Down" she knew she would soon have cops knocking at her door to take her to the hospital. 

She collapsed to the floor, sobbing as Levon's voice and others talked to each other. They debated about lifting her unconscious husband out of the Jimmy to wait for an ambulance or drive him there in a police car. 

She was still curled in a heap by the refrigerator when Estaban walked in her kitchen door fifteen minutes later. 

-=-=-=-=-=- 

Joanne Beaumont walked into the Emergency Room Waiting Room. LaFiamma's new wife was wrapped in Lundy's arms, Julie's head on his shoulder. Levon's hand and voice trying hard to soothe her worries, THEIR worries. Estaban turned from the window acknowledging her with a nod. 

"Any word yet, Levon," Lieutenant Beaumont asked quietly walking up to her former partner. 

"Nothing, Joanne." 

Then the sight of two doctors in green surgical scrubs appeared from nowhere. Holding Julie around the waist, Levon waited anxiously with the others hoping his worst fears weren't true. 

"Mrs. LaFiamma?" The taller of the two asked. 

"I'm Mrs. LaFiamma," Julie replied bravely, thankful that Levon was next to her. "And this is my husband's partner. How - how is Joe?" 

The second doctor stared at Lundy. "Weren't you just on TV? You're the guy who won the millions, then lost it and then won it again." 

"What you talking about?" Levon asked confused, why was his lost money more important than Joe. 

"It was just on television," the second surgeon said motioning with his hand to something behind him. "About you being announced the winner, then having others come forward, but because their numbers can't be verified as coming from any lotto machine, you're back to being the winner." 

"Doctor, I'm Lieutenant Beaumont." Joanne said sharply, "forget about Lundy's millions - what can you tell me about LaFiamma's injuries." 

"The blow to his head was deflected somewhat when the man who hit him slid off the curb, otherwise he probably would have been killed instantly. He has a hairline skull fracture just behind his right ear. His right leg twisted under the car door and up against the curb when he fell. We're waiting on x-rays taken of his knee and his ankle. He's alive, thanks to his hard head. He'll be here a few days." Doctor Darling explained. "You both can see him for a few minutes - not longer. He's heavily medicated and tomorrow he probably won't remember you even being here." 

-=-=-=-=-= 

Julie and Levon edged past Doctor Darling to the side of Joe's bed in the Intensive Care Unit of Community Hospital. 

"Joey," Julie murmured bending close to Joe's face. 

"Mmmm... hi... babe...." Joe rasped his eyes flickering open for a moment to look into his wife and his partner's worried faces. 

"Joey -- the letter came today." 

"Letter?" LaFiamma mumbled wondering how she would know about Uncle Mikey's letter. 

"The letter about the girls...." Julie began watching Joe's eyes shoot open, pain forgotten for a moment. "We've been approved!" 

Joe fought to stay awake. _[We've been approved? The babies are ours?]_ "The church approved the adoption?" Joey rasped his mouth dry. "Lundy, I'm gonna be a dad!" 

"They're two weeks old. Aunt Teresa and your cousin Ann Marie are going to bring them down." 

"You'll like Ann Marie... she collects bears too...." Joey's voice trailed off as the medications took hold and put him into a healing slumber of sleep. 

A few minutes later Julie and Levon emerged from the closeness of the IC unit into a sea of blue uniforms mingling in the hospital corridor. Julie was over-ruled about spending the night, and officers were assigned to her and to Joe just in case other shooters were still out there. 

Levon watched Julie as she talked with Beaumont. Julie had been at Reisner about as long as Joe had been. She'd moved from Arizona to Texas and had been hired by the Houston Police Department the day she applied for a job. Joe had fallen in love with her voice. Levon never understood why it took Joe a year to go and meet her personally. But once he did, that was it - the two were never apart. They ended up having a wedding under a big tent in the middle of the police parking lot. Now Joe was going to be a dad and he was going to be an uncle. Uncle Levon - he liked the sound of that. Maybe there was hope for him yet - probably have every single girl in Texas after him for his money. Still - Joey always said I had a horsewoman just waiting for me to look in her direction -- maybe I should buy that horse farm. I could find a smart young woman to run it for me and marry her too. 

"Levon? What you smiling about?" Julie asked, touching the cowboy's arm. 

"Just thinking about something Joe told me a couple of years ago. This just might be the time to do it." Levon replied, walking with her to the elevator. 

"He's going to be okay," Lundy continued, "that look on his face when you told him about the babies. Doctors are going to be amazed at how fast he gets well." 

"His eyes did light up didn't they? I wanted to stay even though I knew he probably wouldn't wake up -- it's just ---" 

"It's just that you love him so, you don't want him out of your sight." Levon said knowingly as they stepped into the elevator car. 

Julie LaFiamma glanced up at the blond cowboy, "He loves you too, you know. One of these days you are going to have to tell each other how you feel. And I'm laying this on you Levon Lundy - you're going to tell him soon or I'll get another godfather for our girls." 

"Me? A godfather?" 

Julie laughed, "Of course! Who else did you think we would ask?" 

As they walked out of the elevator and into the lobby of the hospital, several officers told Julie if she needed any help while Joe was in the hospital to just let them know. 

"As a matter of fact I do," she replied with a grin, "I need a nursery painted, and I need it painted by this weekend!" 

The officers looked at Julie, Lundy and back again. 

Lundy looked back, "You heard the lady! You made the offer - can't back down now. Best do it before LaFiamma is bending you ear about how to hold a paint brush." 

"He is going to be all right, isn't he?" Julie said defiantly. 

From somewhere in the sea of blue uniforms came the comment, "Are you kidding? With a wife as pretty as you and babies on the way - nothing will keep that Italian down!" 

**THE END**

  
_Everything on this page is fiction. Any resemblance or reference to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental._   



End file.
